Ironheart Book One: Awakening
by Ironheart's Chronicler
Summary: Lylat has been thrown into chaos. The old alliances have been broken. Nothing is certain anymore. A danger threatens to consume all. And all that stands in its way is a young rust gold fox. My first story. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1: The Unknown Warrior

Chapter One

The Unknown Warrior

The struggle between good and evil, the sounding of lasers from their rifles, the cry of the fallen warriors, the rising of a red sun, the resounding clash of steel against steel. Just another day in the continuing struggle between Lylat and the Shadow Dominion. For several centuries the Lylat System has tried to defend itself from the invaders, and at the present time, a savior, a hero, above everything else, was needed in their desperate struggle. A rust-gold fox with chocolate brown eyes clad in black armor and with a sabers sword at his side stood atop a cliff overlooking the wasteland. Jason Trevoc looked over the battle scene that was taking place as a caravan of 15 Cornerian soldiers arrived at his position. Things were looking grim for the Cornerian forces as they were being driven back to the city they tried desperately to defend by swarms of the red eyed creatures.

"How can we defeat a legion like this?! It's impossible!!" one of the soldiers cried out in despair.

"Don't lose your cool now, soldier!" Jason replied. "It may seem impossible at first, but they are not and never have been invincible. I have been observing their tactics and I have found a weak spot in their defenses. We can defeat them if we move right behind their forces and cut them off from making a retreat. That way, if they are taken by surprise, the remaining Cornerian forces can wipe out the rest of them with ease."

"But that would mean we would have to go hand to hand with these monsters!" The commander replied. "We aren't as experienced as you are in close combat, Jason. I'm sorry, but you will have to do this alone. I will not risk the lives of my men. It would be like lambs to the slaughter."

Jason frowned out of disappointment and said, "Fine, wait here with the men and catch up with me after I finish them off. I wouldn't want your men to get killed without putting up a fight. That's no way for a man to die."

When Jason finished, he wasted no time in running ahead of the caravan to get his shot at the Shadows. With his speed, it wasn't long before he arrived at the very back of the large Shadow force. He looked in dismay as most of the corpses that laid in the wake of the Shadows' advancement were Cornerian soldiers. It seemed that the Shadows were getting stronger and more dangerous with every attempted attack they made. But Jason had been dealing with these creatures for three years and had managed to cut down every one of them that made the mistake of getting in his way.

Today would be no different.

Jason slowly walked towards the back of the force, making barely any sound as his armor-fitted feet softly padded on the wasteland's surface. As he got closer, Jason made out several Shadows that were stronger and had more durable armor than the rest of the soldiers and carried spinning cleavers on their arms.

_'Looks like they decided to bring in the Shadow Elites to this fight,'_ Jason thought. He snarled at the sight of them. They were the ones who caused the most casualties in these kinds of battles and were completely merciless in their actions. _'I'll make sure they get what they deserve.'_

"Hey, demons!" Jason shouted. The Shadows immediately turned their heads towards him, growling and glaring with their glowing blood red eyes.

"Lylatian scum! Don't interfere! The Lylat System belongs to our Emperor Halgard and no one will stop us from taking it! Not even you." One of the Shadows replied in its demon-like voice.

"Sorry, too late for that. And by the way, you guys should never have made the mistake of underestimating me. You, my friends, are in violation of disturbing the peace of the Lylat System and are responsible for the deaths of countless Lylatian lives. For these actions, you will receive no mercy from me." Jason then drew his saber sword that had been slightly worn with age, but had proven its worth in many battles. The blade gave off a red tinted glare as it was struck by the sun's rays.

"So, who's first?" Jason softly asked.

That was when the first Shadow charged. Jason waited until the soldier was close enough, then in a flash, he ran up to the soldier and impaled him through his blackened heart. The Shadow cried out in pain and then disappeared in a cloud of blackness. This would hardly be a challenge for the vulpine sword master.

"Who's next?!" Jason shouted with anger at the top of his lungs. All two dozen of the soldiers that were left behind to cover the rear of the battalion charged Jason with their sickening battle roar. None who charged could stand against the might and skill of Jason's blade, each one meeting their end and disappearing into a cloud of nothingness. Each swing Jason made sounded like the blade itself sang in his sword dance of death. In less then a minute, all the normal soldiers had been routed. Now all that remained for him to take care of were the six Elites who seemed unphased by Jason's display of skill.

"Elites, surround and annihilate this incompetent insect!" one of the Shadows shouted. All six formed a circle around Jason and slowly closed in on him, displaying the might of their blood stained thorn swords and spinning cleavers.

_'The fools. They never learn. Now they will pay for the suffering they have caused.'_ All the Elites lunged for Jason, preparing to end his presence once and for all. But they never got the chance. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Jason began to feel the mysterious energy flow through his body as he closed his eyes, took his right hand, curled it up into a tight fist, and struck the earth with all the might he could muster. A blinding radiance of fire emanated from Jason and engulfed the Elites in flames, causing them to scream in agony. They soon disappeared, leaving Jason standing unmoved and triumphant. When Jason exhaled and opened his eyes, he was rewarded with the sight of the Shadow forces being disintegrated by the Cornerian soldiers.

"You never cease to amaze us with your abilities, Jason Trevoc, even after all this time." The caravan had caught up with Jason just in time to watch the show.

"Yeah, I've been surprising myself a few times too. But it won't be long before I'm not enough to get rid of these things for you." Jason replied.

"Even so, the Shadows have seemed to grow afraid of your presence in the past three years that you've been fighting them." The commander said.

Jason replied, "I have a feeling their fear of me won't last much longer. Someday the Elites themselves might be able to take down entire battalions without breaking a sweat."

"If only Lylat could be unified again, like it was long ago when this war began. Maybe then we would stand a chance. We could eliminate these monsters once and for all and bring peace back to the System." The commander said.

"………..Yeah, if only."

In an unknown location.

Two cloaked figures stand before a pool of water, observing the battle between Jason and the Shadows that took place in the wasteland.

"His power is growing, little by little. He is learning to hone his abilities very quickly. Pretty impressive for a young fox such as him."

"Do you think he could be the one we've been looking for?"

"It's possible. He does seem to be pure of heart. And if he is the one, we must lead him here. It is here that he will learn everything. I just hope that the general is ready to send him."

"It seems the prophecy shall be fulfilled very soon."

"Yes……."

"…….You know, he really looks a lot like you."

"Hmph. That he does."

Ironheart

The Last Ancient

Book One:

Awakening


	2. Chapter 2: Jason Trevoc

Chapter Two

Jason Trevoc

"Time….Last Ancient….upon us…"

"Huh? Those voices. Those people."

"Cerinia…..location…..Ancients…."

"This dream. I've had it so many times before."

"…….Eternal Fire."

Jason awoke breathing hard; his heart pounding so fast it was as if he had just ran a marathon. His fur was slightly matted from sweat.

"Another one. I've had this dream so many times I've lost track of when I started having it." Jason looked at the clock next to his bed. It read seven o'clock, nearly 24 hours since he had defeated the Shadows in the wasteland. Jason had returned to his ship, _The Crimson_, shortly afterwards and set the ship in an orbit around Corneria. He then decided to sleep and recover from the battle. Unfortunately, throughout his long sleep Jason was drawn into a dream that he had been having ever since he had first discovered the unusual power that he could use.

"I remember that day as if it were yesterday." Jason reminisced. One year ago, on a mission where Jason was sent to aid the army of the desert-like planet, Katina, he had discovered a power that would change him forever. The army fought against the Shadows more effectively when Jason fought alongside them. However, one day when the battle seemed to be in the Katinians' favor, a large group of Shadows were ordered to track down Jason. They met with him in the middle of the battlefield and surrounded him. They all jumped on him and enveloped him in a cloud of never-ending darkness. Just when Jason was certain that this was it, his end, he began to feel a mysterious energy flow through every inch of his body. It made him feel warm and safe, but it also made him feel more powerful than he ever felt. He focused all of the energy to the core of his body and released it, his body becoming engulfed in a blinding light of fire. Every Shadow disintegrated around him in an instant. Everybody who heard and witnessed this event never saw Jason as a normal Lylatian again. Ever since that incident, Jason has been plagued by a dream where he sees a Lylatian fox and a human talking with each other. However, Jason could only catch certain phrases that have no meaning to him.

"I guess there's no reason to dwell over it if I don't understand what it means." Jason said aloud. He took a moment to look over his room. It was the only bedroom on his ship, but it was fairly big. It had one large window where he could see the stars and planets move by outside. There was also a bathroom that was connected to his bedroom. Adorned on his walls were various swords and other weapons he had obtained over the three years he performed missions for the Cornerian government and its general. One type of weapon he had become more accustomed to using was a saber sword. A saber sword was basically the same as a saber in that it had a guard that covered the handle, but did not connect with the bottom of the handle itself. The other difference of a saber sword was that the blade was thicker than a saber's blade and it also was part of the guard.

Jason also looked at his black-colored armor which he kept on a rack in the corner of his room. The armor was composed of several pieces: a helm, a chest plate, a back plate, shoulder braces, leg braces, gauntlets, and armored shoes. Archaic as it seemed, that one set of armor had proved its worth many times over. Except for a few scratches and dents on the different pieces, the armor itself was spotless and gleamed like obsidian rock. Jason had gained it from a traveling space merchant three years ago right after Jason had signed the contract with the general of Corneria for his aid in future battles against the Shadows. When Jason had tried on the armor with the merchant's permission, he felt a bit…strange, as if the armor was meant for him. The armor was light and flexed with his movements perfectly. What confused Jason beyond anything was when he asked the merchant how much it was. The merchant studied Jason for a minute before replying that he would give it to him for free. Jason was shocked and asked why, while the merchant just said that he saw something in Jason that he had not seen in other Lylatians and that the armor was destined for him and only him. After that incident, Jason saw that the armor was anything but ordinary.

"I guess I might as well get up and wake myself up with some exercise." Jason said while yawning. He quickly went into the bathroom to wash his face and somewhat make himself more alert. After splashing the cool water on his face, Jason took a moment to look at himself in the mirror. Standing 6'1", his whole body was well built and very strong. A lot of it came from all his sword fighting while in battle and from practicing in the gym of his ship. His entire body was covered with strange patterns of white fur which seemed to glow whenever he used his power in battle. Throughout all of his battles, Jason had obtained a great number of scars from the Shadows that could be seen through his fur. What surprised Jason by far was that each wound he received took only minutes to heal. He assumed it had something to do with this strange power of his.

"Time to head to the gym." Jason said. After putting on a black tank top, Jason headed down the metallic hallways of his ship to the gym. Although the gym itself was small, it included a holographic modulator that could turn the gym into any kind of environment, and also allowed Jason to make his holographic enemies look and fight like Shadows. When the environments are changed, it allows the user to roam freely without any boundaries. The room was also given controls for different training exercises as well as difficulty settings. Jason walked up to the console that allowed him to turn the gym into what he saw fit.

"Let's see here." Jason thought aloud, trying to decide what settings to make to the gym.

"Let's make the setting in a forest, with about 13 Shadows hiding in it, and I'll turn the difficulty to level 20." With the settings punched in, Jason made his way into the gym and was met with the sight of a lush green forest with trees that towered above his head. He could even hear little song birds calling out their notes to one another. He walked into a clearing in the forest.

"Let's try a different weapon this time." Jason said.

"Weapon program: Battle Staff, execute." He ordered. From out of thin air, a six foot long staff with a short double-edged blade at one end appeared in Jason's hand. Although Jason was more accustomed to swords, he was also very skilled with a staff and its techniques. Jason gave the staff a few twirls before he felt satisfied with it.

"Alright, let's get started. Begin program!" Jason shouted. A few moments passed. All was silent. Even the birds had stopped singing. Suddenly, Jason's ears twitched as he heard a branch snap behind him. He whipped around and brought the staff in a diagonal cut across the approaching Shadow. A few seconds passed before the Shadow cried out in pain and disappeared into darkness. Jason looked around and saw the other 12 Shadows show themselves to him, all of them growling and snarling.

"Sneak attacks, huh?" Jason said with a grin. "I never knew you guys were so creative. But that won't be enough against me." Jason once more took his fighting stance. One by one, each Shadow charged Jason, only to be met with the deadly blade of his staff. Each spin and twirl Jason made seemed precise and fluid, like a dancer who had gone over the same scenario time and time again and could have done the moves with his eyes closed. A stab here, a horizontal slice there, the Shadows were no match for Jason. He cut each one down until there was only one of them left standing. Jason and the lone Shadow stared each other down for more than a minute, trying to read each others thoughts and decipher their strategy. Jason looked into the Shadow's red eyes and saw only a burning hate and a sleepless malice. It was like looking into the very depths of hell itself. The Shadow then raised his thorn sword and charged, Jason doing the same. They came closer and closer to each other. Jason's patches of white fur began to glow. They passed one another in a flash, each of their weapons held outwards from their attacks. They stood the same way for several seconds before the Shadow collapsed to the grassy ground with a loud thump. He soon joined his fallen comrades in a haze of black.

Jason stood and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Though the forest was holographic, it felt real enough for him to feel calm and relaxed. However, his mind was clouded with questions.

_'I just don't understand. What is it that feeds the hate of these monsters? It seems like they feed off of hate for power. What could have done this to them? Were they always like this before the war began? I only wish I knew.'_ Jason had been studying the Shadows and their behavior ever since he started working for Corneria, trying to find out what drives them. From what he had gathered, whatever was inside of them had turned all their thoughts and feelings toward malice and cruelty.

"Maybe I'll never find out the truth." Jason said. He opened his eyes.

"I should get ready to head down to Corneria. I still have to report to the general about the assault in the wasteland. I hope he doesn't mind that I'm a little late." He deactivated the environment setting and walked out of the gym, heading towards his room. He took a small shower in his bathroom and then put his pair of tan cargo pants back on along with his black tank top before walking over to his armor and strapped each piece onto its appropriate place. He always felt that it was more proper for him to wear his armor when visiting the military officials so that they would know who he was and not take him to be a mere soldier.

Jason made his way to the control deck of his ship and sat down in the command seat in the center of the room. The chair included the controls for the ship and a computer that showed the statistics of _The Crimson_ and had many other functions, even a personal music player that was connected to the speaker system on the ship. Jason brought up the screen on his computer and entered the code to break his ship out of the geo-synchronized orbit. He decided to put on some music for his trip down to Corneria, selecting his favorite song, The Unknown Soldier by Breaking Benjamin. He then took the ship's controls and directed the vessel towards Corneria, watching as the front of his ship became enveloped in flames, the music from the speakers the only noise he could hear.

_Show me what it's like, to dream in black and white, so I can leave this world tonight._

_Holding on too tight. Breathe the breathe of life, so I can leave this world behind..._

To be Continued….


	3. Chapter 3: Dream or Message?

Chapter Three

Dream or Message?

Jason walked through the elaborate red carpeted halls of the Cornerian Base. Many pictures of previous generals decorated the halls. One picture in particular that always caught Jason's attention every time walked past it was a portrait of General Pepper. He always sensed a kind of energy emanating from it, but just took it to be his imagination. Jason had been contemplating many things as he continued his walk to the general's office.

_'Just who are the Shadows? What are they really after? How is it that it is never a challenge for me to defeat these monsters? And why is it that I feel like there is more going on here than meets the eye? So many things make absolutely no sense to me. I only wish there was a sign that would tell me what I'm supposed to do.'_

Jason was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice he was already in front of the doors to the general's office.

"Jeez, I got to stop all this daydream walking or else I'm going to bump into something." Jason said to himself. He pushed open the doors and entered the room. The general's room was as normal as an office could be, with the exceptions that it was much bigger and there was a large wooden desk of polished oak at which the general sat.

"Ah, Jason. Welcome back." Announced a 43 year old husky whom was the commanding general of Coneria and its army.

"Good to see you too, General Leos." Replied Jason as he gave the old pure-white furred dog a hearty handshake. General Leos was a veteran from when the attacks from the Shadows began to escalate into a full scale war many years ago. He had seen much fighting during all that time. After the previous general died, Leos was called upon to take the position, and considering the state of chaos the Lylat System was in, Leos had done an outstanding job in holding Corneria's defenses together.

"You've impressed me once more, my friend. For weeks we have been holding against that horde in the wasteland with no end in sight. The officials have given me the details about what happened, so you don't have to worry about explaining." Leos said.

Jason replied while walking to one of the windows overlooking the capital city, "I only wish there was an end in sight for this whole war. Its been three years since I began to work for you and the army. Through all that time, the Shadows haven't let up their continuous assaults and our defenses continue to weaken. I only wonder how much longer we can hold out."

Leos sadly answered, "I understand your concern, Jason. I, myself am worried for the future of this galaxy. The Shadows have become more dangerous these past few years. It's as if they are desperately trying to eliminate us to remove some threat. What that threat would be I would never guess, for we have done nothing nor do we have anything that would seem a threat to them."

"I wouldn't know either. But I do know that time is running out…..Leos, have you tried contacting the surrounding races? You know how important it is that Lylat must become united again." Jason asked.

"I have tried, Jason, but none of the leaders will listen to me." Leos replied. "They have become ignorant and only wish to defend themselves on their own. I remember my father used to tell me stories as a child about how long ago, Lylat was united and it was an age of peace and prosperity. What I wouldn't give to see Lylat then."

"Is there nothing we can do? There must be something." Jason said.

"At the present time, there is no option open to us." Leos then very softly added, "If only the Ancients returned."

Jason had heard what Leos had whispered and was immediately intrigued, for he had heard that phrase before in his dream.

"What did you say?" Jason asked.

Leos realized what he said and decided to play dumb, saying "What? I didn't say anything."

"No, you said something about 'Ancients'. What are they? Do you know who they are? Please, tell me." Jason replied.

"I have already said too much. I will not say another word." Leos seemed to be very persistent, but Jason was determined to force it out of him.

"Leos, listen. I have been having these dreams recently where I see two cloaked figures, one a Lylatian fox, and the other I think is a human. They both are talking to each other. I can't hear much of what they say, but I hear certain phrases like 'The Last Ancient', 'Cerinia', 'The Eternal Fire', and other things like that. I know you have always been secretive, but I must know about these things. Please Leos, trust me as you have before." Leos was shocked. It was true that he has always been a bit secretive, but to hear that Jason knew about the Ancients, the Eternal Fire, and especially Cerinia was astounding to Leos, for he had been charged with the duty of keeping those subjects secret.

"I'm sorry, Jason, but now I need you to leave this building now." Leos said with a hint of urgency in his voice.

"But why? I only just got here, and I need you to explain to me what-"

"I said get out now!!" Leos exclaimed with anger.

Jason was bewildered. Never had he seen Leos lose his temper like that, especially not with him.

"Leos, what is going on? Why are you acting like this?" Jason asked.

"Please…get out." Leos demanded silently.

"…..Fine. Have it your way!" Jason shouted. He turned defiantly, quickly making his way out of the office and closed the doors behind him with a resounding slam. A grim silence followed, only interrupted by Jason's footsteps. Leos felt the anger leave him and soon realized what he had done. Ever since they had met, Jason and Leos had always been friends. And now, because of his actions, Leos had severely damaged their connection. Leos could only weep at what he had done and listen to the quickening footsteps of his friend fade away.

"Of all the nerve! Why would he snap at me like that? It is completely out of his character." Jason vented as he made his way out of the building, unintentionally attracting glances from the people who worked inside of the base. He found his ship still docked in the hanger of the base. Though the ship was fairly large for one man to keep it in order, Jason had done pretty well in keeping it in tip-top condition. He finally got to the command deck of the vessel and powered up the engines. Shortly after getting settled in, Jason fired the ship into space and once more set it up in a geo-synchronized orbit around Corneria. Jason took a moment to admire Corneria's beauty, to admire that even though the Shadows had constantly attacked Corneria for many years, their evil had never tainted the serenity of this planet.

Yawning widely, Jason decided it was time to rest and try to forget his unfortunate meeting with Leos. He entered his room and immediately shed his armor, leaving him in his black tank top and tan cargo pants, and set his armor on the rack. He walked over to his bed and looked at a golden object that sat next to the clock. The item was a locket with a fox head embossed onto it that contained a picture of his brother, Jonathan, as a human and the other side of the locket was missing a picture. Jason was always troubled that he knew absolutely nothing about his past or his own mother and father. He never even knew about his own home. One of Jason's quests has always been to find his brother. However, he had no proof that his brother was even alive, and if he was, what would he look like? He shook his head and tried to put his troubled thoughts to rest for the moment. Jason quickly went into the bathroom to his bedroom to wash his face. He laid out on his king sized bed and at last, allowed sleep to take him into the realm of dreams once more.

Meanwhile back on Corneria, Leos was faced with a troublesome dilemma. One of the duties that he had been entrusted with when he took the position of commanding general was to keep the knowledge of the Ancients' and Cerinia's existence a complete secret, only to give it to a certain individual who knew of them. Leos contemplated the possibility that Jason could be the one who was to be given this information. If he was, it would put Jason in terrible danger, which was one of the reasons Leos wanted Jason to leave his office, although he realized that he had put their friendship in jeopardy because of his outburst. He only did it because he didn't want to put Jason in danger if he was wrong about him.

"I won't risk putting his life in danger just because of some silly truth I was entrusted with to keep secret. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something terrible happened to him. I almost strange for me to admit it, but he is like a son to me." It was true that Leos had developed fatherly feelings toward Jason after he came to Corneria asking to help the army in its struggle. But Leos then remembered why he was to give the possible location of Cerinia to the one who knew of it. It was because that this being could somehow reunite the System and lead the united races in a final assault against the Shadows, and at last bring peace back to Lylat. Leos was blind to it first, but he realized that Jason had proven himself with his unusual abilities in battle. He always had a feeling that Jason was special, but he never saw how special he was.

"I see it now. It makes absolute sense. Jason is the one who is to go to Cerinia. He could be the one we have been waiting for. The hero, the savior. I can just feel it in my heart. That's it then! I will send him a message to come back to my office immediately so that I may apologize for my actions and make it up to him by telling him everything I know." And so Leos set about creating Jason a message to summon him back. Leos knew that it was time to send Jason to his true destiny.

……"Where am I?"

Jason found himself inside of a large temple. Though it was fairly dark, Jason could see that the temple's halls were decorated with statues of different Lylatian beings, each in a different posture with different weapons. In the center of the temple was a circular room which held the only source of light that came from a large hole in the domed ceiling. Just as in his other dreams, the two same cloaked figures stood in the center of the circular room talking with each other. But unlike in his other dreams, the conversation was much more audible for Jason to hear.

"The coming of the Last Ancient is upon us. I have been observing him in his battles and his skills are almost competent to those of the previous Ancients." The fox said.

"Yes, he is becoming stronger" the human replied. "But he will need an even greater strength when the time comes for him to use it. The power he needs still sleeps within him, waiting to be awakened and unleashed. In order to awaken the Eternal Fire, he will have to face all of the previous Ancients and obtain their weapons of old. That means he will have to face you after the others have been put to rest."

"I assumed it would be inevitable. Although, I am interested in how much more skilled and wiser he will have become once he faces me. It will certainly be a fight to remember through the ages. If he does defeat me, and it almost amuses me to say this, but it would be an honor to lose to him." The fox then drew from the air a sword of purely forged crystal. The sword seemed so beautiful it made every other sword Jason possessed seem ordinary and mundane. The very blade of the sword itself gave off a blue glow from the inside of it.

"I am sure that Armageddon will serve him well in his future battles." The fox said. "It was even used by my father."

"Your father was a kind and strong man…….I must tell the destined one the location of the other Ancients once he arrives on Cerinia," the human replied. "For there are six other Ancients besides you and I suspect that he will require an adequate amount of training from the Cerinians before he attempts to locate and fight Alder."

"Are you sure you want to be the one to tell him?" the fox questioned. "The two of you meeting could have unexpected results if your identity is revealed too soon. It could upset the very balance of history itself."

"I am sure. And don't worry. I will keep my face well hidden. Besides, I want to see how much he looks like you."

"I really wish you, Wolf, and Krystal would stop mentioning that he looks so much like me all the time." The fox groaned. The human only chuckled.

_'What are they talking about? Who is this person they're mentioning? And who is Krystal and Wolf? I feel like I recognize the names. And this Alder? I just wonder how long it will be before all of this becomes clear to me….'_

"All in time"

"Huh? Who said that? Show yourself!"

"Just look behind you." Jason immediately turned to face the one who was speaking to him and saw-

Jason abruptly woke up gasping for air.

"What in the name of Lylat was that?" Jason tried to slow his heart rate and breathe slowly.

"This is starting to get ridiculous. First I finally manage to find out what those two were saying, and then someone talks to me in my dream, and I can't even see who it is. If these mysteries keep up, I'm going to go crazy." After Jason settled down, he noticed a blinking light coming from the holographic console he had in his room.

"Huh. That's interesting. Who would be trying to send me a message at this hour?" Jason wondered. He pressed the activation switch to turn on the console, and an image of Leos appeared. Though Jason was not eager to see the old husky's face again, he decided to listen to what Leos had to say.

"Jason, it is urgent that you come back to the base immediately. There is something I must discuss with you. It is time." And just like that, Leos's image disappeared, leaving a confused fox staring at the wall past the console.

"This is getting too weird. First, Leos tells me to get out of his office, then I have the same dream I told him about, and now Leos is telling me to come back. Can't the old fool make up his mind? And what did he mean, 'It's time'?" Jason was completely against going back to base and wanted to wait until there was another job for him, but something in his heart told him that he should go and see Leos.

Jason sighed and said, "Alright, Leos. I'll listen to you this time, but I hope you have some answers for me." Jason quickly took a shower and refitted himself back into his armor. He headed to the command deck and entered the code to break his ship out of the orbit. He then fired up the ship's engines and took off towards Corneria's surface, watching as the front of the ship became orange and yellow as he broke the atmosphere.

"Maybe this is the sign I have been looking for." Jason remarked.

"……….Well, we'll see."

To Be Continued…..


End file.
